Risotto, literally meaning “little rice” in Italian doesn’t take as long as you might expect. Start to finish on this dish is around 30 minutes.

Risotto is flavor agnostic so you can use whatever is in the fridge. Ham, or any cured meat will work if you’re digging on the pork.  Or leave it out and use a meaty mushroom, asparagus or baby peas.  This is a great dinner for two and you could easily double it.

3 T olive oil
1 shallot, chopped
.5 small onion, chopped
1 c basmati rice
4 c chicken or veggie broth (room temp/warm)
3 T white wine
4-5 c chopped greens (spinach, kale, arugala)
.5 c chopped ham or cured meat (optional)
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 T butter
.5 t sea salt
.5 t red pepper
pepper
parmesan or romano cheese, grated

Heat olive oil in heavy pot over med-high heat. Saute onions and shallot for a few minutes then add rice and saute for another 2-3 min.

Add ham if using, then start adding ladles of broth, a small amount at a time, basically enough to keep the rice from sticking to your pot. If you’re using a more delicate meat like pancetta, wait until later to add it.  Keep pouring and stirring for around 15 min, saving around .5 c of liquid.  Splash in some white wine if you have a bottle open.

Next mix in the chopped greens and garlic, stir and add a bit more broth.  This is where I veer from tradition and stop stirring constantly: add remaining broth (there shouldn’t be much left at this point), butter, turn heat to low, stir and cover for around 10 min.  Rice will be creamy when you lift the lid.

Season w/ salt, pepper and red pepper.  Serve with grated hard cheese of your choice.

PolleePerfect has been quiet for a couple months but I’ve been keeping the Midwest spirit alive with lots of fun, food and fellowship.

So today I honor my roots and my first – and only – published recipe.  It appeared in the Lincoln Central Cookbook, published in 1991. I attended K-12 at LC, as did most of my family prior to its closing in 1993.

My Grandma Marge served as my guide, via corded phone, the first time I prepared it. It was the summer during high school when mom went to work and I was in charge of lunch a couple days a week for my dad, brother, sister and whoever else happened to be around.

My ego was big and my bangs bigger. KILR radio, our local station, played bad music and I kept the dial on KFMC, a rock station out of Fairmon, MN, until dad pulled in the lane. I had my first part-time job at a clothing store in town (the now defunct Spurgeon’s).

It was around this time dad nicknamed me Pollee Perfect because of my disdain for messy farm life and the amount of time I spent on my clothes, hair and make-up. My how things have changed. Now I barely wear face paint and love spending time on the farm.

I got this recipe from one of mom’s women’s magazines (Country Living? McCalls?) and it seemed like a major accomplishment the first time I pulled it off.  Mexican Lasagna became one of my teenage staples.

The Lincoln Central Cookbook was 2/3 sweets and desserts. Many recipes in the other 1/3 contained Cream of Something Soup.

Mine was pretty simple; guess I’ve always been a minimalist. Although I don’t use taco seasoning any more, the only truly questionable ingredient is the prepared chili with beans.  I am proud to share a page with Ardyce Levell and Hermina Amoroso.  So without further adieu, the recipe as it appeared in the Lincoln Central Cookbook, circa 1991:

1 pkg soft flour shells
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 lb hamburger
1 med. onion
2 c cheddar cheese
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 can prepared chili w/ beans
1 tsp chili powder

Brown hamburger and onion, drain.  Add taco seasoning as directed on package and simmer 15 minutes.  In well-greased baking dish place taco shells stuffed with hamburger mixture. In pan, heat chili, tomato sauce and chili powder. Pour over tacos. Smother with cheese and bake at 350 until cheese is bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes.

Here’s a plug for one of the unsung heroes of the food world.  Yes, I’m talking about grits.  I must admit, they weren’t on my radar until we visited our pals, Zach + Kacey, in Winston-Salem, NC, a couple years ago.

I’d never been served grits in my life.  And their name didn’t make them sound all that appealing, especially if you grew up watching Alice, where every episode Flo, the fiery red-headed waitress would exclaim, “Well [he/she] can KISS my grits!”  Watch a clip of Flo >

I didn’t want to eat what Flo was telling everyone to kiss – probably not an unnatural reaction.  Grits aren’t nearly as sexy as their Italian counterpart, polenta, although they’re essentially the same dish: ground corn porridge.

After one breakfast in W-S, served with a little Texas Pete, I became a fan.  Grits are really versatile.  ‘They’ can be plural or singular.  They work for any meal, despite being known as breakfast food.  You can eat them very simply, or with embellishments.  I really like them with cheddar, black beans, salsa and guacamole.  They’re delightful with sauteed vegetables and feta.  And of course cheesy grits as a side with eggs and bacon are terrific.

And the cooking time is really speedy.  Here’s my favorite preparation:

4 T quick grits
1 c broth (I usually heat up some water and add a tsp of veggie broth paste)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 sm. shallot, minced
dash of hot peppers
S+P

Bring broth to a boil and stir in remaining ingredients.  Reduce heat to med-low and cook 5-7 min, covered, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and serve.

Thai curry is the ultimate fast food. A similar recipe is on the back of most any curry paste container. Best of all – you can add anything and develop any flavor with the varieties. Panang, yellow, red or green. All the colors of the curry rainbow. This is what I had in the fridge.

3 T peanut oil
3-4 T curry paste
1 T chili paste
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 ribs celery, sliced diagonally
1 serrano pepper, sliced
1-2 T ginger, chopped finely
2 c cabbage, sliced thinly
2 T rice wine
1 can coconut milk
2 T fish sauce
1 T lime juice
1.5 T brown sugar
6 T chopped cilantro
brown rice

Make rice in advance.  Saute onions in peanut oil for 1-2 min, then add curry and chili pastes. Saute them for a bit, then add a splash of rice wine to deglaze the pan.  Add coconut milk and make sure paste is evenly distributed.  Bring it to a simmer, reduce heat then add other vegetables. When they’re crisp=cooked, add fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar.  Serve over brown rice with cilantro sprinkled on top.

Hoppin’ John is a traditional new year’s meal in the Southern U.S., thought to bring good luck and prosperity.  I was mostly concerned with the good luck – so far, so good.  It features black-eyed peas (legume, not band) and the frugal favorite, ham.

7-8 c cooked black-eyed peas*
5-6 c broth (veg or chicken)
1 c ham, chopped (or a ham hock if your butcher has them)
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1.5 c cooked rice (wild rice is excellent)
1 lg can diced tomatoes
3 ribs celery, chopped
3 jalapenos, chopped (remove the seeds from 1 or 2, depending on how hot you want it)
1 t paprika
1 t thyme leaves
1 t cumin
.5 t chili powder
1 T Worchestire sauce

After beans are cooked, or drained from the can as the case may be, set them aside.  Saute onions in 1-2 T of oil for 5-6 min, then add celery, peppers, garlic and saute for another few minutes.  Add tomatoes slowly as mixture starts to stick to pan.  Add remaining ingredients (except black-eyed peas and broth) and saute for another couple minutes.  Add beans and broth.  Simmer for a few hours for best flavor.

Delicious add-ons: chopped green onions, cheddar and hot sauce.

*Use dried beans to reduce sodium, save cash and reduce the use of tin cans.  Soak them overnight, rinse, bring to a boil and simmer for 2 hours. If using a ham hock, boil it with the beans to create your broth.